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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Not sure if I have mentioned this before, but Homity Pie is a truly wonderful thing. What is Homity Pie? Pray, read on.
Homity Pie is a traditional British open vegetable based pie, consisting of a pastry case with a filling of potatoes, leeks, onion and cheese which is then baked till the cheese is golden brown. And - it's very tasty.

The pie's history, like a lot of food lore, is a bit muddled. Some say that it is an age-old Romany speciality, while others say that it originated in the Second World War when food was rationed. It certainly does consist of economical ingredients, so let's say that both stories are partly true. One thing is for sure - Homity Pie is experiencing somewhat of a revival, and I am seeing it more and more at markets and other food outlets.

I recently popped into the WI's Country Market which is held in the Church Hall on Friday mornings. Various stalls are there - one with produce, one with jams and baked goods, meats on another, and so on - you get the idea. The way it differs from an ordinary market is that when you enter you are given a small slip of paper and when you make your purchases, the price is recorded on the paper, and then when you go to leave the market there is a small table by the exit where the lady will total your purchases and you pay for it all at once. I quite like this 'checkout' idea.
I went in to the market right about closing time, so they were packing up, and there were two Homity Pies left - so I snapped those up. Some people like them warm, but me, I like them just as they are at room temp. So that's how I had them.

Chomp!

Potato, leek, onion and cheese with a little dash of parsley seems to be a magic combo. The potato was just the right texture - soft, but not too yielding, and quite a silky feel to it, so probably a Maris Piper or other similar waxy type of spud. Very nice indeed.